During the manufacture of a parts for use in a larger assembly, it is common to apply a chemical substance such as a coating, paint, or primer to the outer surface thereof. The absorption rate and the curing rate of such chemical substances are extremely difficult to monitor to obtain accurate quantitative status information. Existing solutions used to obtain status information are based on historical data (from previous applications) combined with qualitative inspection and/or tactile interpretation and are thus unable to provide a desired level of accuracy.
Accordingly, there is a need for a monitoring system which addresses the drawbacks identified above.